Nehemiah 6
Nehemiah 6
Do you know what scares the devil and enemies of the gospel the most? Men and women of God who are fearlessly focused on the kingdom of God. Nehemiah chapter six gives us a brief example of their fear.
Nehemiah finished rebuilding the wall and it becomes clear to the surrounding nations that God was with them. They respond by trying to intimidate Nehemiah and the people of God and when that doesn’t work they start sending reports to the king that they are planning to rebel. Nehemiah was not perfect by any means, but his focus on the Lord’s work got the attention of the enemy. Which begs the question…
What about your life/walk with the Lord? Is your life focused on exalting Christ and his kingdom on Earth as it is in Heaven? Is our church so dedicated to the work of the Lord that the enemy is taking notice? It has felt like it recently with all that our church has gone through, but just like Nehemiah, we must not let up or get distracted! That would be just what the devil would want - God’s church got discouraged and focused on themselves rather than reaching the city of Lexington.
When we feel the temptation to let up on our pursuit of Christ and his kingdom we must remember the promise given to us by Jesus in the Great Commission. “…Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” And the guarantee he gave Peter in Matt 16:18 “and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Think about those realities for a second…
Our God is with us as we live on mission - why should we fear the threats of the enemy? Christ has secured our victory through his empty tomb, why should we be anything other than confident and focused on his kingdom? Let the example of Nehemiah and promises of Jesus refocus and recenter you today on the mission of the church. Take ownership and responsibility to live it out in such a way that the enemy takes notice.
Family Discussion
1. Derby is right around the corner. Why do horses wear blinders when they race?
2. If satan wanted to distract you from living on mission, how would he do it?
3. Is there a distraction in your life that you need to remove to pursue Christ more fully?
By: Joe Weaver
Do you know what scares the devil and enemies of the gospel the most? Men and women of God who are fearlessly focused on the kingdom of God. Nehemiah chapter six gives us a brief example of their fear.
Nehemiah finished rebuilding the wall and it becomes clear to the surrounding nations that God was with them. They respond by trying to intimidate Nehemiah and the people of God and when that doesn’t work they start sending reports to the king that they are planning to rebel. Nehemiah was not perfect by any means, but his focus on the Lord’s work got the attention of the enemy. Which begs the question…
What about your life/walk with the Lord? Is your life focused on exalting Christ and his kingdom on Earth as it is in Heaven? Is our church so dedicated to the work of the Lord that the enemy is taking notice? It has felt like it recently with all that our church has gone through, but just like Nehemiah, we must not let up or get distracted! That would be just what the devil would want - God’s church got discouraged and focused on themselves rather than reaching the city of Lexington.
When we feel the temptation to let up on our pursuit of Christ and his kingdom we must remember the promise given to us by Jesus in the Great Commission. “…Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” And the guarantee he gave Peter in Matt 16:18 “and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Think about those realities for a second…
Our God is with us as we live on mission - why should we fear the threats of the enemy? Christ has secured our victory through his empty tomb, why should we be anything other than confident and focused on his kingdom? Let the example of Nehemiah and promises of Jesus refocus and recenter you today on the mission of the church. Take ownership and responsibility to live it out in such a way that the enemy takes notice.
Family Discussion
1. Derby is right around the corner. Why do horses wear blinders when they race?
2. If satan wanted to distract you from living on mission, how would he do it?
3. Is there a distraction in your life that you need to remove to pursue Christ more fully?
By: Joe Weaver
No Comments